Sci Cam 008 – 7th January 2014 – Physics and Biology of winter

In a wintery edition of the online science show, Michael Conterio talks about the physics of ice both on the Earth and off it, while Sonja Dunbar explains all the adaptations that allow plants to survive cold, wintry weather.

If you’d like to know more about the taiga (the boreal forests) mentioned in this episode, have a look at some excerpts from the BBC’s Frozen Planet here, bringing you video footage that we cannot! http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/collections/p00kf6hs#p00382g0

Sonja’s note – somewhat faulty memory in the final part of the show, I said I’d look it up – it wasn’t a frog that could freeze solid for a large part of its life cycle, it is the Arctic Woolly Bear Moth!

Could microscopic zombies be lurking in a puddle near you? Meet Naegleria fowleri, the water-dwelling amoeba that can crawl up an unsuspecting swimmer’s nose before chowing down on his brain. Amoebae might sound like science Read more…